Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	life_n	7,349	5	4.3274	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91988	The picture of the conscience drawne to the life, by the pencell of divine truth. VVherein are set out 1. Its nature. 2. Infirmities. 3. Remedies. 4. Its duties. Consisting first in the truths to be beleived [sic]. 2. The vertues to be practised. 3. The vices to bee avoyded. 4. The heresies to bee rejected. All seasonable for these distracted times. By Alexander Rosse.	Ross, Alexander, 1591-1654.	1648 (1648)	Wing R1980; Thomason E1195_1; ESTC R208720	46,614	212

our faith patience constancy and other vertues may be the more exercised and that wee may the more abhorre our sins and withall wee should call to mind how that the best of Gods Saints even Christ Himselfe have for a time beene deserted 46. Against the feare of death wee are bound to comfort our selves that Christ hath taken away the sting of death that neither death nor life can seperate us from the love of God in Christ that death is a gate to future happines that the death of the Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord that death frees us from sinne from temptations from the inticements of the flesh and of the world from all the miseries of this life and the vanities of the world that Christ will raise us againe in the last day by the vertue of his Resurrection let us therefore in consideration of this keepe a good Conscience waite with patience our appointed time till our change come let us therfore strive to the newnesse of life and to the contempt of the world 47 We are bound to comfort our selves in our infirmities in that we have a high Priest who is sensible of our infirmities in that we have a Father who will take pittie of our infirmities in that wee have the holy Spirit who helpeth our infirmities in that the best of Gods servants have been subject to diverse infirmities 48. VVee are bound to obey Gods commands because wee are tied to him in many Obligations he is our Father our Lord Redeemer and preserver because of his supreame authority and absolute power hee hath to punish the disobedient because hee promiseth many blessings to those who obey his will because God reapes no benefit by our Obedience but we our selves because wee have the example of Christ Himselfe who was in all things obedient to his Father even to the death of the Crosse 49. VVee are bound to carry our selves humbly and lowly considering the vilenesse of our nature the greatnesse and Majestie of God the benefits which we receive by humility for it is the way to glory it makes us capable of Grace of VVisdome and other vertues by it wee are fitted as houses for God to dwell in for God to looke upon for God to exalt out of the mire and to set us with Princes and it is a powerfull meanes to avert his anger and judgments 50. We are bound to labour for the true knowledge of God in Christ without which wee cannot have life Eternall without which the people perish without which all our knowledge is but ignorance our wisdome but foolishnesse and our light but darknesse this key of knowledge will open Heaven gates to us this is that knowledge which will truely open our eyes that we may see and be like unto God it is the true foode of the soule without which wee shall never grow fat and well likeing in heavenly things 51 We must conscionably labour for sinceritie in all our actions because God hateth hypocrisie and delighteth in sincerity and in the inward man for he knoweth the heart and searcheth the reines because there can be no peace and security but in sincerity wch consisteth not so much in outward ceremony as in inward truth and integrity not so much in service of the eye as of the heart looking rather to Gods approbation then mans performing not only the greatest but the the least duties looking not for reward from men but from God serving him as well in private as in publique as well in adversitie as in prospiritie as well when he punisheth as when he rewardeth abstaining not only from evill but from all appearance of evill and that not only in the light but in the darknesse also 52 We are bound in Conscience to speake the truth every man to his neighbour for God is truth it selfe and the Devill is the father of lyes which are an abomination to God a lye is a part of the old man which we should put off and mortifie a lye is so hatefull to man that stands upon poynt of honor that it cannot be expiated without a stab lying takes all credit away from the lyar that he is not beleeved when he speakes truth it breakes off all societe and communion betweene man and man which is grounded on truth a lyar is injurious to God the author of truth to his neighbour to whom he ought to speake truth and to his speech which ought to be consonant to his mind 53 We are not bound at all times to speake all the truth or any part thereof when neither justice Charity nor Piety do require it yet we must beware of Iesuiticall equivocation or mentall reservation which is indeed plaine lying they utter that which is false and this is a materiall lye and that which they knew to be false and this is a formall lye 54 When we are commanded by our superior or Iudge to confesse the truth we are bound in Conscience to do it for otherwayes we fall into the sin of disobedience and by our silence we wrong both God the Iudge our selves and our neighbour and the State wherein we live for God is honored by our confession and dishonored by our silence by our confession also sinne shall be restrained justice advanced and the delinquent either totally cut off or amended 55 The Iudge is bound in Conscience to make diligent inquiry before he pronounce the sentence to judge righteously to bewarre of partialitie and acception of persons to beware of delayes and demurrs by which justice may be put off and to beware of corruption and bribery whereby justice is perverted to informe the witnesses of their duty that they must bewarre of lying malice calumnie that they must discharge their Conscience by speaking the truth that so GOD may be honored the party accused may be either cleare or condemned the Law executed so justice and peace maintained which cannot be better performed then by punishing him who out of purpose and malice beares false witnesse according to the Law of retaliation 56 We are all bound to be zealous of Gods glory and of good works for without true zeale God cannot be honored nor sinne suppressed nor Gods judgements averted nor our true love to God witnessed nor true comfort of Conscience or life eternall obtained but let our zeale be according to knowledge out of true indignation against sinne and true love to Gods glory with true sorrow for dishonoring God let it also be joyned with constancy fervency in Gods cause and mildnesse in our own as we see in Moses and Christ 57 In what condition soever we are we ought to be content if we consider Gods providence in ordering all things according to his pleasure if the shortnesse of this life if the estate of the richest and greatest men how little satisfaction or comfort they reape even out of their greatest plenty if the fullnesse of content and happynesse reserved for us in heaven if the true

partaker of his sinne qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet 33 We are bound to make vowes only to God and having made them to performe them for this is a part of Gods worship he only knowes the heart and purpose of him that vowes and can punish the violation therof the Iewes were bound to vow many ceremoniall duties from which we are exempted but we are tyed to the vow of moral obedience which we tooke in baptisme and which we renew as often as we repent as for the vowes of such bodyly exercise which may help devotion wee are bound to make them if we see that our devotion will be helped and increased by such vowes otherwayes we are left to our Christian liberty 34 We are not bound to vow or to keep the vow if we have made it of voluntary poverty for so we make our selves unable to do good nor of monasticall obedience for so we infringe our christian liberty and become the servants of men in submitting and binding our Consciences to the ordinances of man nor of perpetuall chastity which is not in our power and by which wee wrong our own nature by hindering the continuation of the species which is effected by propagation 35 As we are bound to rest upon the Sabbath or Lords day from our bodyly labour so we are also bound to do the works of piety of mercy or charitie and of necessity upon that day yea the works of liberty too as to dresse meat to make beds c. if so be they are not scandalous nor offensive nor hindrances to Gods worship for the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath I say such workes may be done with a safe Conscience 36 We are bound in Conscience to hasten our conversion to God with what speede we can because God requires it and delayes are dangerous procrastiation argues unwillingnesse and the custome of sin takes away the sense of sinning so the longer we put off our repentance the more obdurate wee grow in sin and the greater wrong we offer to God and to our own soules in delaying to cast out sin which is his and our enemy and the more difficult we make our conversion by increasing the number and guilt of our sins thereby incensing Gods anger the more against us which fire we ought to quench without delay least it suddenly consume us our life is uncertaine and we are not sure to live till we be old or if we live we are not sure then of that grace of repentance which now we reject the times and seasons are not in our power late repentance is seldome true let us then strike the iron while it is hot and enter into this poole of Bethesda whilst the waters are stirring 37 We are bound in Conscience to meditate seriously in the Law of God that there as in a glasse we may see our own filthynesse and inabilitie to goodnesse and so we may in all humilitie fly from our selves and from all other creatures in which there is no helpe and with true sorrow and feare may lay hold on the promises of the Gospell and hunger earnestly after the righteousnesse of CHRIST by true faith 38 We are bound to make our election and calling sure by cleansing our Consciences from evill workes by setling our affections upon God by hearkning to his word by obeying his voice by delighting in the company of the Saints by slighting the honors riches and pleasures of this world accounting them but dung in respect of CHRIST and by cherishing the holy spirit by whom we are sealed unto the day of redemption 39 We are bound seriously to repent our wicked lives by considering the majesty of God whom we have offended the greatnesse of his goodnesse towards us the fiercenesse of his anger against sinne the great happynesse we have lost and the multitude of miseries befallen to us by reason of sinne by considering also what Christ hath suffered for us how impenitency is the greatest of all sins and how without repentance wee cannot attaine true happynesse now this repentance consisteth in sorrow for sinne in a constant fervent implacable hatred against every sinne and in a serious and assiduous purpose to avoyd all sinne to walke in all righteousnesse and to use all the meanes whereby wee may attaine the same 40. VVee are bound to cherish the good motions of Gods Spirit in us and not by our wicked lives to quench or grieve the Spirit now the meanes to cherish the Spirit are Prayer Meditation Obedience Faith Hope and Love 41. VVe are bound to be holy because wee are commanded because God is holy because without holinesse no man shall see the Lord neither can there be true faith nor justification without it holinesse was a part of Gods Image which we lost it is also the end of our Election and calling and 't is a part of our future happinesse now this holinesse consisteth in our walking with God in our wrestling against the flesh in running the wayes of Gods Commandements in avoyding sin and the occasions of sinne and in a perfect Reformation of all our powers and faculties of our soule 42. VVee are bound to trust and rely on Gods promises for hope is our Anchor it is hope that supports us in all our actions and sufferings and makes us goe on with courage and constancy it is the end of our calling it is hope that saves us and it will not make us ashamed because it cannot bee frustrated it bringeth also patience and true spirituall joy 43. Wee are bound in all afflictions to comfort our selves and to be cheerefull because we have God who afflicts us for our Father Christ for our Advocate and Redeemer the Holy Ghost for our guide and comforter the Scriptures for our instructers besides Gods love towards us and his decrees are unchangable our afflictions are short our reward is Eternall no thing befals us without Gods providence God will give us strength with the temptation Christ hath suffered and overcome all for us nothing doth befall us but what hath befallen others and let us consider the fruit or end of affliction which is sweet and comfortable 44. VVhen wee are tempted to evill we are bound to avoyd all occasions of entertaining such a temptation to resist it as an enemy to extinguish the first sparkles of this fire to betake our selves to prayer and meditation and to kill this Cockatrice in the Egge and to put on the whole Armour of God against it and not to give way to this enemy for it is the chiefe part of our spirituall warfare to fight against temptations 45. In our spirituall desertions wee are bound to comfort our selves with the remembrance of Gods love and promises who will never utterly forsake us but onely for a time even for a moment will hide his face from us because wee have angered him and this is for our good that wee may the more earnestly seeke him that